


Change My Mind

by Mercy_Rhyne



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: :), Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Brainwashing, But he's also a Jerk, I think I like him sorta, M/M, Some angst, This Deceit is an interesting character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-01
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2019-05-31 20:04:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15126875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mercy_Rhyne/pseuds/Mercy_Rhyne
Summary: Superhero AU. Power couple Virgil and Patton wake up in an unfamiliar room, only to hear that their enemy has a... request for them.





	Change My Mind

**Author's Note:**

> Warnings: Deceit, kidnapping I guess, a bit of torture, mention of suffocation, brainwashing, implied major character death 
> 
> This is a request from Tumblr, but I'm too lazy to post the prompts so *finger guns*

As soon as Virgil woke up, he knew something was wrong. Not that this was hard to tell, as waking up in a dark room, chained to a wall never means something good.

His head hurt, his memories hazy and vague. Something had happened, but he couldn’t remember what. He remembered he and Patton were getting ready to ambush Deceit. After weeks, months of planning, they had finally come up with a plan to capture the villain. Normally, he always outsmarted them; he was always two steps ahead of them. But finally, they had gotten the perfect plan to avoid his tricks and illusions, his mind games and traps. Or so they thought.

Virgil didn’t remember _what_ happened to get them back here, but he knew that at one point, Deceit had appeared in front of the duo. He had said something. After that, everything went black. The next thing Virgil remembered, was waking up here. His wrists were bound in chains, and he noticed a cuff around one of his ankles as well, as if this wasn’t enough already.

The room was dark. So dark that Virgil was sure it was an artificial darkness. He couldn’t see anything around him. Not even his own legs – though that might just be because he only wore black, but that’s beside the point.

In a blurry thought, Virgil tried to conjure up a small flame, or maybe an icicle to set himself free from the cuffs that bound him to the cold wall behind him, but that thought was disproven immediately. It wouldn’t work. It made sense; of course Deceit would take precautions to make sure they wouldn’t be able to escape using their powers.

As the hero dropped his head with a sigh, he wondered where Patton was. Would he even be in the same building as him? Or had Deceit separated them in order to execute an evil master plan? Virgil’s gut told him his boyfriend was close, but there was no way he could prove this feeling.

Until he heard a groan next to him. It sounded so close, but Virgil could not see anything in the pitch-black darkness.

“Pat?” he asked, his voice barely more then a whisper. “Is that you?”

“Virgil?” Patton’s voice was weak and hoarse, but Virgil was ecstatic that he at least got a response. At least Patton was here!

“Oh God, I am so glad you are here,” Virgil mumbled with a relieved sigh. “I was worried he’d have separated us.”

“He- Virge, what do you mean?” the other superhero asked softly, confusion colouring his words. “Where are we? How did we get here?”

“No idea,” the younger man responded. “But we’re in Deceit’s lair, I think.”

“Plan didn’t go as expected, huh?”

“I don’t remember we were planning on being captured, no,” Virgil said with a soft chuckle, trying to dismiss the panic he was feeling. He didn’t want Patton to hear how anxious he was, but he couldn’t stop thinking about where they were, why they were here, and what Deceit was planning. He _had_ to be planning something.

Virgil heard Patton scoff softly, but he didn’t speak up. The two remained silent until quiet footsteps approached their room, stopping in front of what would have to be the door.

The door was opened, expelling the artificial darkness as light flooded in. Finally, Virgil could see the room they were in. The walls were grey and bare. The only furniture was a chair and two tables. Not exactly a fun room to wake up in.

The younger hero glanced to the side, where he saw his boyfriend, squinting at the sudden influxof light. He looked dishevelled and disoriented, but otherwise fine, unharmed. That was one worry Virgil could scratch from his list.

 

When he turned to face the newcomer. It was – as one would expect – Deceit. Probably one of the most dangerous villains they had encountered. He was cunning, a skilled fighter, but most importantly: extremely powerful. He had the ability to control one’s mind, make them think what he wanted them to think; make them do what he wanted them to do. To some extent, he could even control one’s powers, as long as its source lay in the mind. The two of them had had multiple encounters with him, but they never managed to capture them. He always escaped at the last second.

For a while, Virgil had thought his actions were never fuelled by ill intent. After all, he never killed him or Patton, even though he could have killed them multiple times already. But he was starting to think that he misjudged the villain after all. Deceit had never captured them before, even though he surely had the power and opportunities to. This had to be some sort of plan.

“Look at that,” Deceit smirked as he entered the dark cell, creating a bulb of light to illuminate the room as he closed the door behind him. “Beast Boy and the Dark Knight.”

“You have had all the time in the world to think of nicknames for us and _this_ is what you come up with?” Virgil asked as he raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. “I have got to admit, I am just a little disappointed.”

“It was not my intention to please you,” Deceit deadpanned, making a fist with his right hand, causing one of Virgil’s hands to cover his mouth, yanking at the chain that connected his wrist to the wall. “Now, I would appreciate it if you just listened, alright?”

Virgil rolled his eyes, before glancing to Patton, who turned to their nemesis with a blank look on his face. He was tense, but didn’t show it.

“I know you two,” the villain continued. “I know you are powerful. I could use powerful.”

“Not gonna happen,” Patton stated firmly before Deceit could open his mouth to continue. “I know where you want to go with this, and –”

“Didn’t your parents tell you it is rude to interrupt someone?” Deceit asked with a wave of his hand. Patton’s lips seemed to stick together as a result of this casual gesture. Satisfied with the result, Deceit continued. “Where was I? Oh, yes ‘powerful’. Right. I am feeling remarkably generous today, so I will give you the chance to join me willingly.”

“We’ll pass,” Virgil spoke for him and his boyfriend. Patton nodded furiously, staring at Deceit intently.

“That’s what I thought you’d say,” their enemy smirked. “Luckily, there is always a backup plan.”

He snapped his fingers and immediately, a sharp pain travelled through Patton’s skull, down his spine, finally spreading itself through his entire body. It seemed as if he was on fire, as if someone was poking him with tens of thousands of needles. It was the worst pain he had ever felt in his life, and it didn’t seem to ever end.

He struggled against his restrains letting out screams that were muffled by his locked lips. The metal of the cuffs cut into his wrists, but Patton hardly noticed. That stinging was nothing compared to the pain Deceit forced upon him.

After what seemed to be ages, the pain faded out, leaving Patton with his eyes closed and his wrists raw from pulling on his chains.

“That’s a new trick I’ve been learning,” Deceit informed the two monotonously. “And that’s not even the worst I can do. Do you want me to show your boyfriend something even worse, Pat, dear?”

Patton, still unable to speak up, shook his head, not looking at Deceit.

“Very well then,” the villain shrugged. “I will just have to show it on you, then.”

With another gesture of his hand, another wave of pain travelled through Patton’s body. But, like the villain had promised, this was _worse_.

It was as if he was on fire, but at the same time, his skin felt like it was freezing to the touch. It felt as if he was suffocating, drowning. Where the previous time, it had just been a pain he felt throughout his body, his nerves, this pain made every organ cry out in pain. Every heartbeat, every breath. Everything hurt.

“Stop it,” Virgil called after a few seconds that felt like years for the both of them. “Please… stop it. We- I- we will think about it. But please… stop this.”

Deceit turned to Virgil, looking at him for a few seconds, before complying.

“Alright,” he nodded. “I will be back.”

With that, he turned around, waving a hand to unstick Patton’s lips as he left them behind in the pitch-black darkness.

 

“Patton,” Virgil said softly when he was sure they were alone. “How are you?”

“I- I’m fine,” Patton responded – clearly anything but fine. His voice was weak and hoarse. “But you… you shouldn’t have done that. I could manage.”

“He would have killed you if he had to.”

“I would’ve let him.”

“Pat…” Virgil mumbled. He wished he could move over to his boyfriend to comfort him and hug him and just be there for him. But right now, he couldn’t even see him. “Please don’t be like that. And I… I do have a plan, but-”

“I knew it,” the other man softly interrupted him, “I knew that you… you would have something to say about this. You always do.”

“Yeah,” the youngest hero said as he looked down to where his legs would be if he could see. “But you didn’t let me finish. I’m afraid you might not like this.”

“Oh,” Patton responded his voice much softer, pausing for a moment. “What is it?”

“I… if I surrender myself…”

“ _No_ ,” Patton immediately interrupted his boyfriend. His voice was still weak, but it had regained some of its former strength. “No, I am _not_ letting that happen. You won’t surrender yourself to… to _him_!”

“Pat, please,” Virgil pleaded. He wished he could see his partner as he spoke. “It is me, or the both of us. And I will not let anything happen to you. I want to protect you. Please, let me do this.”

“This- this is why I fell in love with you,” Virgil heard Patton mumbling. “You always… you always want to help everyone. But you don’t have to do this, Virgil. I can take care of myself, too.”

“I know you can,” the young hero nodded. “But I won’t let anything happen to you. I don’t want you to get hurt when I could have stopped this. Please, Pat… trust me?”

“I…” Patton paused a few moments, before sighing. “Fine. I trust you.”

“Thanks.”

After that, they remained silent.

 

Virgil wasn’t sure just how long they were there before Deceit finally came in again. He eyed his two prisoners with a smug smirk as he summoned another weak ball of light.

“So,” he drawled, “I trust you have had thought about my offer?”

“Yes,” Virgil replied swiftly, forcing himself to look up into Deceit’s eyes. In the darkness, they appeared to emit a vague yellow glow. “I’ll do it, but… only if you let Patton go.”

“I don’t think you’re in any position to make requests, honey,” Deceit smirked, slowly stepped closer to Virgil.

“I might not be,” the hero responded, unfazed by his enemy’s attempt at intimidation. “But I know you need at least one of us”

“Oh, I know that, darling,” Deceit responded. “But you’re forgetting that I am the one in control here. I don’t need you to surrender. I could make the choice for you.” – he lifted one of his hands – “Of course, that would give me more to do, but that’s a price I’m willing to pay.”

With those words, he snapped his fingers, and immediately, an immense pain exploded in Virgil’s head. It felt as if he was stabbed by a thousand daggers, over and over again.

“Why are you doing this?” he asked through gritted teeth, trying to ignore the agonising pain. “I- I literally told you I would help.”

“I know,” the villain said smugly as the pain subsided again. “I just like to make a point every now and then.”

“Please,” Virgil said softly, “I will help you. But promise me you won’t harm Patton.”

“Very well,” Deceit agreed after a few moments. “I will not lay a finger on your precious lover.”

He waved a hand and the chains holding Virgil in place disappeared. But before he could enjoy this new freedom, Deceit had already grabbed a handful of his hair, pulling him to his feet.

“Well, I suppose we have some work to do, don’t we?” he asked, walking to the door. “Say goodbye to dear old lover boy, for now. We’ve got a lot do discuss.”

 

Days passed. Weeks. Maybe even months? Virgil wasn’t sure. The days blended and mixed together in a vague blur, and he wasn’t quite sure what was the truth and what had been a dream or a fantasy. He lost huge chunks of his memory, and sometimes he would wake up in an unfamiliar room, wondering how he had gotten there. Deceit’s powers did their job well: they dictated his every move, and while sometimes, Virgil would manage to do something out of his own free will, he could never fully fight of the villain’s influences. It was horrible, if he was being honest. But if it meant Patton would be safe… that would be worth it. He would give anything for Patton’s safety.

A while after Virgil and Deceit had made the deal, the villain led the other to the basement, saying that what was waiting for him down there, would be his ‘ultimate test’. Virgil dreaded to see what he would find in there. Deceit seemed to be… excited, almost. That alone was a sign that this would be _bad_. But nothing in the world would have prepared Virgil for what he would find.

The two men stopped in front of a black door. Deceit conjured up a dagger and pressed it in Virgil’s hands.

“I think you might need this,” he said with a smirk. “I will be in the next room, watching your progress. And don’t hold back.”

Virgil nodded and watched as Deceit retreated into one of the rooms. Then, he turned to look at the door in front of him. Every fibre of his being screamed at him to turn back, but his body was fighting his own thoughts. He couldn’t turn back now. Deceit would have his head. He was in too deep. There was no way he could get away with _not_ doing this. He had no choice.

So, he rested a hand on the doorknob. Paused a moment before finally opening the door. And when he saw what – or _who_ – was on the other side of the door, everything became clearer now. Part of him screamed to turn around and leave, while he still could. Another part screamed at him to remain where he was, for running away would not only endanger himself, but also Patton. And another part of him – the strongest – told him calmly to stay. To do everything Deceit demanded.

Even if it meant killing the man in front of him.

Even if it was Patton.

 

The man in front of him looked nothing like the man he used to be. He was small, skinny – way too skinny – and trembling. Cuts and bruises were visible of what little of his body was visible in the vague light of outside. Virgil took a deep breath and conjured a small flame to allow him a better vision.

Patton looked up when he didn’t hear Deceit usual mockery, and his eyes grew wide when he saw Virgil standing in front of him, looking down at him with a stoic expression.

“Virgil,” Patton gasped. This man was so much like his boyfriend, yet at the same time… he was someone else. A stranger with the face of his partner. “What are you-”

“Shut up,” Virgil said quickly. His voice was sharp and harsh, yet there was a soft edge to it. The old Virgil wasn’t gone. Not completely. “Please. Don’t make this any harder.”

As he stepped closer, Virgil’s thoughts were all over the place. Deceit had told him he wouldn’t hurt Patton. He’d told him he would let him go. He had lied to him. That was unacceptable. Yet at the same time, the calm voice told him that Deceit would have his reasons. That he would never lie if there wasn’t a good reason. He would never do something like _this_ if he couldn’t explain why. There was nothing wrong. Patton had probably just… asked for it.

Virgil knew this was wrong, knew everything about all of this was so, so wrong. But he couldn’t stop it. He couldn’t stop himself. He was in too deep.

If he ran away, Deceit would kill Patton.

If he stayed, he would kill Patton.

And to be fair… he would rather kill Patton himself than leave him behind with Deceit. The villain was capable of anything. He wouldn’t hesitate to make Patton’s death the worst one imaginable. He had to do this.

“I’m sorry,” Virgil muttered as he stopped in front of Patton. “I have to do this. I’m sorry. I love you. You own my heart. I’m sorry.”

And then he stabbed Patton.


End file.
